Chapter 160 - Dekan Doesn't Swindle Honest Folks

Inside the church, Mauleon took the keys from the mayor's pocket and had been gone for almost an hour.

Meanwhile, Dekan, who remained in the church, had skillfully bound the unconscious engineer and locked him in the confessional. Then, he helped the mayor up and placed him on a chair, letting him lie sprawled across the long table.

Lastly, Dekan took out paper, a pen, and the documents he obtained from the engineer to study the bridge design plans requested by Mauleon.

Several tens of minutes passed in the blink of an eye.

Finally, the heavy doors of the church were pushed open once again. Mauleon seemed to have gathered useful information from his investigation.

Dekan glanced up at Mauleon before returning his attention to his design task, focusing intently. Fulfilling Mauleon's request was proving to be somewhat challenging. But this challenge didn't deter Dekan.

Keeping everything within a budget of 30 holy coins is nothing!

Mauleon, wearing the mayor's appearance, leisurely walked over to the real mayor and carefully placed the keys back into the mayor's pocket.

Then, he walked to the side of the confessional, touched the engineer, and activated [Touch of Mimicry.]

When Mauleon returned to Dekan's side, he had transformed into the appearance of the engineer.

"Did you find anything during your investigation?" Dekan asked without lifting his head.

As Mauleon approached him to a certain distance, Dekan naturally became alert.

"I searched carefully, including the mayor's house and the places only he had access to. There was nothing related to the mission, and absolutely no clues related to the vampires you mentioned," Mauleon said, leaning back against the table and eyeing Dekan's unfinished design drafts with interest.

"There must be something going on with this small town. It’s suspicious that there are no clues in those places; it’s almost as if they were intentionally cleared out," Dekan muttered, furrowing his brow.

After all, the story's background was very clear—the town was brewing with an impending event. With the disappearance of the priest a few days ago and the destruction of the bridge—troubles had undoubtedly begun.

It was impossible not to discover any information.

If gentle methods couldn't reveal anything, then they would have to resort to more extreme measures. However, this would have to wait until after Dekan and Cornelia had reunited.

When it came to "winning people over with virtue," even without Croix, Dekan and Cornelia could still be considered experts when working together.

"But there's still some gain." Mauleon smirked triumphantly and continued, "This mayor is definitely a big, greedy fellow. Even though he seems frugal on the surface, I just checked his house. His attic is hiding quite a few treasures."

Dekan chuckled coldly, "No wonder this mayor is so wary of me. Turns out, he's afraid I'll uncover his secrets."

Mauleon added, "It's probably worth over a thousand holy coins."

Dekan retorted, "What are you talking about? The mayor is known for his honesty and integrity."

Mauleon corrected himself, "Oh, my mistake. There was actually nothing in his attic."

Although the two found a hidden treasure, they didn't rush to take the money out. For now, they decided to maintain their facade as law-abiding citizens.

Since Dekan hadn't increased the dose of sedative for the mayor, they estimated he would soon wake up.

Soon enough, Dekan gently woke up the slumbering mayor.

"You...?" The mayor woke up from his daze, looking around and realizing he was sitting in the church. He rubbed his head, feeling groggy and a bit sore.

"The church was too dark. When you entered, you accidentally tripped over some scattered books on the floor and passed out," Dekan explained gently, resembling a kind priest.

The mayor nodded skeptically, soon noticing only the masked priest and the engineer in his view. The guard from earlier was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's the guard?" The mayor asked, puzzled.

"I sent him back to the caravan to fetch some medicine for your injuries," Mauleon, now disguised as the engineer, spoke in the original's tone.

The mayor nodded, feeling a bit uneasy but not suspecting them much. After all, what could they possibly do to cool him in such a short period of time? Moreover, there was a legitimate priest present, so the security seemed assured.

"By the way, Mayor, I reevaluated the cost of repairing the bridge and found that the initial quote of 300 holy coins might not be enough," Mauleon's expression suddenly became a bit awkward.

"Well, how much do you need then?" The mayor inquired.

"We might need around 500 holy coins," Mauleon replied.

"No, 500 holy coins is too much," the mayor firmly refused.

"With my years of experience, before this priest, before the church and under the statue, I swear that no matter which contractor you find, it won't be lower than 450 holy coins. Plus, they can't guarantee the quality like we can with our professional team."

The mayor fell into silence.

"Unless... here's what we can do. We'll still charge you 300 holy coins, but you'll need to pay the full amount upfront to help with our cash flow," Mauleon sighed, appearing to make a difficult decision. "Consider it a service to the townsfolk. We'll even take a loss to get the bridge fixed. You know, business hasn't been good for us lately..."

The mayor raised an eyebrow, seeming somewhat tempted. If Mauleon's calculations were correct, the mayor could only take about 500 holy coins from the town's public funds. If they were to spend 500 holy coins on the bridge repair, the mayor wouldn't be able to pocket much.

Facing this proposal with significant temptation and risk, even though it looked like a trap, the mayor hesitated.

"Please rest assured, we will sign a proper contract with you," Mauleon added earnestly.

At the same time, Dekan discreetly unleashed a round of [Rampant Desires,] enticing the mayor's greedy desires to erupt. Meanwhile, Mauleon used a [Friendship Halo] card, counteracting the effects of "Rampant Desires" on both of them.

[Friendship Halo]

[Category: Spell Card]

[Rarity: Orange Epic]

[Tier: 3]

[Effect: Reduces the impact of mental magic on individuals within the range and decreases the level of hatred towards the caster. The range determines the mana consumption.]

[Note: Thank you.]

This card was the one Mauleon used during the previous mental magic confrontation with Dekan.

For a moment, the mayor seemed to have lost his senses. He snatched the contract Mauleon offered as if grabbing a treasure. "Then it's 300 holy coins in full!"

"I'm glad you've made the right decision," Mauleon replied.

Afterward, the mayor and Mauleon left the church to find the accountant, complete the paperwork, and make the payment in one seamless process.